Friday night, a 28-year-old woman was reportedly abducted, drugged, and raped by three men in the Eastern Metropolitan (EM) Bypass in Kolkata. The event caused a full-scale police investigation and a search on the city to find the car and the accused. The survivor lives in Kolkata and is married; she is being treated in SSKM Hospital, the first place where the law-enforcement officials got to know about her situation.

According to Kolkata Police, the scene happened around 9.p.m. when the woman was waiting to hail an app-based taxi in front of a bus station in the jurisdiction of Pragati Maidan police station. She informed policemen that a car was standing in front of her. There were three men in it, one of whom she knew personally and with whom she had communicated over the last three months. This familiarity made her not react with the sense of danger to the vehicle immediately.

Forcible Abduction and Assault Alleged

According to the allegation by the woman, upon the car halting, she was forcefully dragged into the car by the three men. She claimed she was compelled to consume spiked alcohol which was spiked with a substance that was not known. She was then lost and raped in the moving car. The attack allegedly lasted despite the fact that the vehicle was driving in the EM Bypass, a free and open highway in the city, casting significant doubts on the security of the city at night, the laxity in surveillance and the possibility of the attackers proceeding unnoticed on the main arteries of the city.

Following the supposed attack, the victim was thrown close to the Maidan neighbourhood, a few kilometres away where she was abducted. She was in a traumatised and injured state when she was picked up by bystanders who took her to SSKM Hospital through medical transportation. Upon the observation of the indications similar to the storey of the survivor, medical staff members reported to Pragati Maidan Police Station.

Early Investigation and Police Response

After being notified by the hospital, the officers went to the survivor and took her statement as well as opening a case in accordance with the acts of abduction, sexual assault and intoxication. A top official at Kolkata Police confirmed that they are doing a search and it is important to note that the fact that one of them knew another accused provides a vital lead. We are also actively hunting the three accused. According to the complaint of the survivor, it is evident that she was taken against her will to the car and highly abused by the attackers, said the officer. The fact that one of the perpetrators was one of her acquaintances enhances the chances that she will trace and identify the men in a short time.

Wider Issues on Urban Safety

Its location on a major route that is generally thought of as being relatively safe due to the presence of traffic indicates systemic issues: poor lighting in parts of the EM Bypass, the absence of quick-response policing on large areas, and civilian laxity in densely populated areas. High movement on Friday night makes one wonder why no one outside could hear the wrestle or raise a red flag on an abnormally forced entry into the vehicle.

Moreover, the role of an acquaintance is making the assumptions of safety and trust more complicated to the people. Researchers of urban crime point out that familiarity with the offender allows the offender whom the victim knows of to circumvent his or her psychological defences, so preventive safety recommendations are not enough in cases where the threat posed by an offender is a person socially attached to the life of a victim.

Next Steps 

CCTV images are under investigation by the police of roads around the bus stand, EM Bypass crossroads, and exit gates that head towards the Maidan. The samples of the survivor are subjected to forensic tests in order to identify the nature of the intoxicant. The investigators are also trying to tell the model of the vehicles using the description of the woman and the initial footage.

With the city waiting to be updated, the case highlights how women are always vulnerable in the open areas and how a quicker integration of surveillance, more conspicuous policing, and mechanisms of accountability that prevent the occurrence of such crime should be implemented in time.